‘Mobutu, Roi du Zaïre - Thierry Michel’

The ultimate "African King", Joseph Désiré Mobutu was one of the oldest, most tenacious dictators that came to power as a result of the Cold War and decolonisation. November 1965. With the help of the CIA, Mobutu launched a coup d' état and seized power in the former Belgian Congo. He renamed the country "Zaïre" and imposed on his people a peace based on fear, violence, and repression. In less than 25 years, this young sergeant of the colonial army became one of the most feared, wealthiest men in the world. He sided with the West and built a pyramid of autocratic, predatory power, held in place by money. He handed out favours and disgrace, and was the absolute ruler of the ruins of a country ravaged by corruption.

This film is the result of more than two years of archival research and of witnesses close to Mobutu in the heart of Africa, Europe and the United States. In total, more than 950 hours of pictures have been seen by the world. To complete these exceptional documents, the director has collected more than 50 hours of interviews from favoured witnesses, of the history and of the people close to the president.

In the presence of the director.